Tales of a Sad, Fat Wordman by Ralph Dennis
“Dennis influenced a lot of writers. He knew how to ride the zeitgeist….if not get ahead of the game. He deserves to be remembered and, more importantly, read.” NB Magazine UK
The late Ralph Dennis is beloved among crime fiction writers and readers for his Hardman series of detective novels from the 1970s. But little is known about the man himself. This collection of some of Ralph’s early short stories and poetry, framed with excerpts from articles about him and by essays from authors who knew him well, offers an emotional, poignant and ultimately revealing look at how he saw himself… and how his past profoundly shaped his enduring creative work.
Books by Ralph Dennis
Hoop Noir
Two gritty, fast-moving novels set in the world of basketball by legendary crime writer Ralph Dennis.
Tales of a Sad, Fat Wordman
This collection of some of Ralph's early short stories and poetry, framed with excerpts from articles about him and by essays from authors who knew him well.
Dust in the Heart
There's a killer stalking children in a small, North Carolina town...and the only one who can stop him is the local Sheriff, a man crippled physically and emotionally by a war that he's still fighting within himself. The haunting, powerful new thriller by Ralph Dennis, author of the legendary Hardman series of crime novels
All Kinds of Ugly
The recently discovered, long-lost, 13th and final Hardman adventure sends the unlicensed PI to London to find a missing man...where he becomes embroiled in an ugly case of embezzlement and murder.
Reviews For Tales of a Sad, Fat Wordman
"The most beloved obscure private eye writer who ever lived."
"Dennis is finally receiving the literary accolades he deserves."
"Like Chandler and Hammett before him, Dennis was trying to do something different with what was thought of as throwaway literature.”
"Dennis is an underappreciated master."
